


Gathering shards, warming hearts

by Saaimee (i_bananacake)



Category: Uta no Prince-sama
Genre: Boys In Love, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Dorks in Love, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Not Beta Read, Romantic Fluff, a soft kiss at some point, caring ranmaru, i love my ship, tired reiji
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:27:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23082469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_bananacake/pseuds/Saaimee
Summary: Reiji was tired of spending all day out and just wanted a bath, his bed and, especially, see his face.He knew that even Ranmaru's angry screams would bring back his energy, he just didn't know that the other one needed him too.
Relationships: Kotobuki Reiji/Kurosaki Ranmaru
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	Gathering shards, warming hearts

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Juntando cacos, aquecendo corações](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/565774) by Saaimee. 



> Translation of a old fic of mine ^^  
> Enjoy!

It was a common late afternoon where the orange sky was starting to mix its warm colors with the cold ones from the approaching night. The clouds created shapes between buildings and colored houses’ roofs.

The hectic conversation from people walking streets on their way back from work, the buildings’ windows where you could see workers running for one last chance in the day and the cars that, like ants, followed their paths on the roads, leaving heat of smokes behind. Everything was orange.

Living this life could be tiring, but it did not detract from the beauty that came in contrast in difficult times. He knew it, the man crouched in front of a garage, looking at the sky with a bunch of keys in his hands. He knew that putting a smile on his face as soon as he woke up would wear him out when the day was over and, yet, he did it every day. Because, for him, the important thing was: always bring meaning to the lives of others.

Tired, he sighed, feeling his whole body weight as if the burden of decisions was hanging on his shoulders. Leaning his hands on knees, he got up, walking slowly towards the entrance door.

One hand shook the keys, making a rhythmic tinkle following the birds' hooting and car’s engines in the distance.

The door opened and the freshness of the air inside welcomed him. It felt like a damp smell — but not a bad one — which gently entered his nostrils, bringing calm to his tired lungs.

Taking a step forward, he closed the door and with an exhausted smile, he shouted: “I’m home!”

The man expected to hear an angry scream or, at least, a sound loud enough to show that the other person living in there had already noticed his presence, but, this time, only silence remained.

He knew he had arrived home early, but that silence was strange. Ranmaru wasn’t the talkative type and neither a honest person with his own feelings, but he was polite in his way and always shouted when something bothered him.

While thinking about what had happened, Reiji took off his shoes, placing them in the corner and the keys on the shelf near the entrance.

“RanRan!” He tried again, smiling, following the corridor in search for the man.

He walked through each room of the small house, repeating his nickname enough times to hear screams telling him to shut up, but that didn't happen either. Reiji had no idea where he could be or where could go at that time.

Now, standing at the doorframe, he crossed his arms looking at the room they shared, seeing the tidy sheets on the bed, pondering if this situation was something common. After all, he managed to get home an hour before usual and didn't know what the boy used to do while he was out.

Grinning without a smile, he went to the closet, taking his towel and a change of clean clothes. Leaving, he left to the bathroom, thinking that maybe it was better to be alone, at least for the moment.

Without worrying, he filled the bathtub with hot water, trying to find a memory that would answer the question from before. As he took off his wrinkled clothes, he felt the heat of the steam cover his body, allowing him to relax at once, thinking of Ranmaru’s sulky face that he wanted to see so badly.

• • •

His feet walked so fast that he seemed to run down the street, carrying heavy bags in his hands. He couldn't get his cell phone out of his pants pocket to see the time. Time that he knew that was running too fast.

With his eyes in the sky, he clicked his tongue cursing himself for stopping on the way to pet the cats on the wall of a house, taking more of his time than necessary. He cursed himself for that, but didn't regret it.

The orange sky confused him, making him believe he was completely late. Seeing people coming home in their work uniforms only reminded him of the reason why he was running so much. He had to get home fast; he had to get there before him.

**—**

Almost breathless, Ranmaru reached his destination, pushing the small gate with his body and running to the door, hunting the keys in his pants with difficulty.

With the door open, he was finally safe and, without realizing it, smiling. However, his relief did not last half a minute.

In the corner of his vision, he spotted a pair of familiar shoes. A pair of shoes that shouldn't be there, at least, not yet.

Angry eyes and curses replaced the smile as he locked the door behind. The man walked towards the kitchen while blaming Reiji, shouted and argued with himself at every step, but did not complain, at all, about the cats that helped to put him in this mess.

His plan was to make a simple surprise for Reiji. A full dinner before the boy arrived, so Ranmaru would be able to have enough time to lock himself in the room pretending to sleep so he wouldn't have to deal with the embarrassment of hearing Reiji’s happy words. But, now, it was over. Reiji was in the house and would be glued to him all the time, irritating him and hindering his every move.

He thought about giving up. If so, he wouldn’t have to go through the stupid situation and just make up an excuse about all those ingredients that were supposed to fill a romantic dinner. But he couldn’t do that.

Clicking his tongue, he kicked the chair feeling his face burn from thinking about it all of it.

“Eh? RanRan?”

The confused voice made Ranmaru compose himself, almost automatically, looking towards the corridor where Reiji was standing with a towel in his hand and an alarmed expression on his eyebrows.

“A-Ah...what?” His heart skipped a beat finally seeing that face.

“Why did... you kick the chair?”

“No reason!” He shouted, unintentionally, in an attempt to prevent Reiji from talking more and maybe getting him out of his way in the kitchen.

When overcome by his own feelings, Ranmaru used to fumble himself and, at that moment, when he tried to push his friend away, he only managed to attract his attention even more. Reiji had not understood the reason for that shouting and, therefore, he tried to look for tips around the place that answered the question the other refused to do.

His eyes quickly found the bags on the table, making him assume that Ranmaru had gone to the market, relieving him of the uncertainties he had when he arrived there.

“Oh? You went shopping?” Excited, he ran like a child to see what was in there.

Ranmaru knew that he would do this and, yet, he could not think of a way fast enough to prevent him from getting close. Before he noticed, he felt the other's body approaching his, already searching the bags.

“Reiji, you-”

“Wah, so much!” Reiji seemed more excited to see the products than to know why they were there. He took item-by-item, looking and always making some happy comments. “Why you got all of it? Going to celebrate something?”

Each question made Ranmaru even more ashamed and helpless. He wanted to disappear at the same time as he wanted to make Reiji disappear.

“Woah, beer! How many cans?” He questioned, removing the alcoholic content from the last bag, more interested than excited this time. The silence that followed those questions bothered him, noting that his friend had not said anything since he started eavesdropping. Puzzled, he looked up at him. “Eh? RanRan?”

The boy had his cheeks red, staring at the floor in a mixture of embarrassment and anger. Reiji stopped all the fuss, trying to understand what he did wrong, feeling as a father feels when he realizes that his son is about to start crying at the wrong time.

“I...” before the older could say something, Ranmaru started to speak softly “I just felt like cooking… just it…”

“Ah...” the answer didn't make any sense to that overreaction, however he also didn't know if he should really point it out now “you want me to help-”

“No! You get the fuck out of here!” As in the blink of an eye, the younger looked up, staring at Reiji with a frightening expression, making him retreat. “You shouldn’t even be here right now!”

“Eh?”

The shouting ceased like magic right after, putting them in an awkward silence where they faced each other waiting for someone to say something more.

Ranmaru could not face Reiji's confused as well as scared face, forcing himself to stare at the floor, frustrated with his attitude. Reiji, on the other hand, saw the situation as if he was disturbing the boy to the point that it was irritating to look at him.

He knew that he should not meddle in Ranmaru’s affairs; he knew that the bassist was the closed type and that if he had made plans with someone else, he would have no reason to tell him. Ranmaru, however, just wanted to see Reiji happy, but he didn't know how to use the words in a way that favored him.

Not wanting the strange situation to remain any longer, Reiji laughed awkwardly trying to hide the loneliness in his eyes. He certainly had arrived home too soon.

“Sorry, RanRan”

“Wha-” Reiji’s awkward voice made Ranmaru’s discomfort clear by making him choke on the words before shouting, showing his frustration. “Why you sorry now?”

“It’s just-”

“I didn’t wanted you to see it!” Screaming he stopped him from talking. Ranmaru knew that if he allowed him to go on, he would be forced to hear from Reiji more than he wanted or understand. His voice was loud, but it didn't show any negative feelings, just the frustration of having failed with his plan. “Was supposed to be a surprise…”

For a moment, the words did not make sense, specially looking at the young man’s face who seemed to be scolding him than showing comfort. Reiji had to blink about three times before he finally understood everything happening.

“What?” Ranmaru questioned almost not opening his lips, because of the embarrassment he was trying to hold inside.

That was enough to make the older take the first step towards and jump on top of him.

“Reiji!” He shouted, overcome with annoyance.

“RanRan!” He also shouted, but overwhelmed by happiness.

Ranmaru even tried to push him away, but this time Reiji’s grip was stronger, only allowing him to complain loudly for the whole house to hear.

It took a few minutes for things to calm down and finally let go of him; going to the table to help sort the products and organize everything, even thro Ranmaru had told Reiji to stay away and let him work.

“Ah, right” In the middle of the organization, the bassist's carefree voice caught Reiji's peaceful gaze quickly.

“Hm?”

“Welcome back.”

The calm eyes he could hardly see were staring at him, letting a shy smile form at the corner of his lips. At that very moment, Reiji was able to see all the happiness that he tried so hard to bring to the others, standing right in front of him, welcoming him and taking all the weight off his chest. With a smile that didn't seem to be enough to show all his gratitude, he nodded.

“Hm. I’m home.”

• • •

It didn't take long for Ranmaru to lose patience with Reiji's exaggerated attitudes and scream at him making him sit in a chair like a child, only being able to watch him working from afar. The brown-haired man could not complain about it since Ranmaru was doing everything for him, so, obediently, he swallowed all his agitation and did as told.

Leaning on the table with his head in his hands, Reiji watched his careful movements, full of confidence in the kitchen, placing the oil in a frying pan while in the other pan, meat, carrots, cabbage and some sauces rested on the low heat. The smoke around them whetted his appetite easily while Ranmaru's determination in front of the stove put a smile on his face.

At a glance, the bassist saw happiness emblazoned in the other man, while moving the yakisoba, and unintentionally looked away, trying not to change his concentrated expression and alarm the man.

“You know, RanRan,” laughing, noticing the shy attitude, he started to speak “I was really tired when I got here and I just… Wanted some place to lay down and rest. But then… When I opened that door and didn’t find you around, I felt like ‘now I’m truly tired’. Now I feel worse… Exhausted.”

Silence took over his distant gaze as the frying pan made frying sounds, like whispers. Ranmaru was certain that Reiji still had something to say and so he did not interrupt him. He was curious to hear it as he started the next dinner step.

“When I was riding back here I thought that laying on bed would get my energy up again, but I was wrong” He spoke again, releasing the words almost in a sigh. Not as heavy, but a lot like relief. “Sleeping wouldn’t cure me from stress. Being with you would” He was looking at the wall when he explained and didn't see the boy's eyes in front of him widen as if screaming, surprised to hear all of that at once. “That’s why I rushed straight home... That’s why I felt so happy when I saw you.”

Ranmaru hurried to turn on his back, pretending to search for something in an attempt to hide his red face and calm the heat dominating his chest before Reiji looked at him. However, Reiji was also embarrassed of his confession and could not bring his face directly to the other. He just laughed sheepishly, scratching his cheek without hearing any response.

“Sorry. I talk too much, right?” He spoke loudly in his usual cheerful tone, seeing the boy still troubled with his back to him. At that moment, his eyes went to the nearest cupboard, seeing the freshly bought fruit resting there. “Ah!”

He jumped at the same time he shouted, shortening the path there. Ranmaru looked over his shoulder with drawn up eyebrows and a hand covering his mouth — still embarrassed —, but when he saw Reiji going towards his beloved bananas, his expression changed and he started to shout his name in a attempt to stop him.

“Let me do the dessert!”

“I told you to stay sitting there!” Leaving the stove, he screamed halfway as Reiji held the fruit with both hands together as if begging for mercy.

“Chocobanana” Ranmaru even opened his lips to scream, but stopped when he heard the suggestion. “Please” He couldn't argue with him anymore and had no reason to deny such thing.

“Ah...” He snorted, turning back to his tasks, leaving the other one jumping happily there.

“ _Sankyu!_ ”

It didn't take long for them to finish working and soon seated at the table with their stuffed omelets and chocobananas in the center, waiting for their turn to be savored.

They were still arguing when Reiji took the first piece to his mouth causing Ranmaru to shut up almost instantly, staring at him. He didn't wanted to show it, but he was apprehensive about the result after saying all that. However, as soon as he heard the exaggerated comments followed by the Reiji's honest smiles, he was able to breathe easily and finally relax.

This was the result he was looking for when he first had that plan: seeing Reiji’s smile. Glad to himself, he picked up a piece.

“Oh...” surprise escaped him. The taste was much milder and the softness was gentle enough to welcome it. It was tastier than usual.

A subtle smile appeared on his lips when he realized that it was because of that agitated and noisy man sitting in front of him that this had happened.

• • •

After dinner, the two talked about the best parts of their day and what had planned for the next one. Everything in peacefully atmosphere, full of smiles and sincerity. Then, when Reiji decided to clean up the dishes mess, Ranmaru went to the living room, sitting on the rug, leaning his back on the couch to watch TV.

There was nothing important being show, yet his eyes seemed to glued to the screen. He heard the sounds of the dishes in the kitchen and laughter on the TV, but he could only see in his mind Reiji’s happy face from earlier, remembering his kind words from before like warm hands holding his heart carefully.

A sigh escaped him, allowing his body to completely relieve himself and let his own smile show.

The two lived a busy life made of intense efforts that often kept them away from each other. Not every day they had patience or spirit to deal with each other and the problems around them never seemed to stop. However, they always did everything to make sure they were still there.

Lost in thought, he did not notice Reiji entering the room, placing the cloth over his shoulder on the sofa, and asking what he was watching. He only really noticed the presence when the man sat down next to him and leaned over, laying his head on his lap.

“Reiji!”

“I finished my part.”

“So what?! Get out!”

“I’m so tired!”

“Then go to bed!”

“Ah!” Like a spoiled child, he grabbed Ranmaru’s leg, screaming with his eyes closed.

“Reiji!”

Annoyed, Ranmaru started to shake himself trying to push him away; however, it only made it easier for Reiji to grab his hand.

He tried shouting again, but gave up, knowing that there was no other option. His eyes stared at him in disbelief, trying to understand how an adult like him could be so childish at times.

One more sigh and gradually his body relaxed, allowing his fingers to intertwine with his, who seemed to sleep peacefully there. It was amazing how Reiji seemed like an exhausting hot sunny day when wake, but looked like a helpless puppy needing love when sleeping.

Without noticing, Ranmaru’s other hand stroked his face, brushing the strands of hair away. Reiji was chaos, but also could bring a stillness like no one else. His body bent over, like a magnet, and gently he kissed his cheek.

Ranmaru hadn't said anything before, but he also wanted to see him as soon as possible today and, despite having everything messed up, the bassist was grateful that he arrived earlier.

The touch was long and full of comfort. When he pulled away, his half-open eyes met Reiji seriously looking at him.

He didn't pull away or try to run from surprise like a scared cat, instead he just turned his eyes away, feeling his face flush.

“You are cute.”

The smiling voice sounded like a whisper making Ranmaru close his eyes, impressed by his speed always catching him off guard. With a short laugh, he turned back, facing him again.

“Seriously?”

“Hm” Ranmaru didn't wanted an answer, but Reiji gave it anyway. Releasing his leg, he turned, bringing his face a little closer. “Very cute.”

The kiss was soft and quiet, but so necessary that it was something that only they could share. Just as life was difficult, it was also beautiful and being together was worth every effort.

**Author's Note:**

> It hurts me to love ReiRan so much :( <3  
> I love this couple dynamics where one is shy and easily annoyed and the other one is cheerful. Ran is so naive most of the time, but he still manages to help Reiji whenever he needs. And Reiji is just there crying all the time because life is a mess but he loves Ranmaru a lot.  
> The pain in my heart..... *cries*  
> Anyways, thank you for reading <3
> 
> I'll revise it again for any mistakes later :D


End file.
